Pakistan

Pakistan’s pastoral communities rely on their herds to support their lives and livelihoods. In earthquake-affected communities, our teams on the ground provide women with new livestock, including goats, sheep, and cows, to ensure they can generate an income for themselves and their families. We also distribute buffalos, which are incredibly valuable for their ability to produce milk and meat, to vulnerable women in Mansehra district.

In June, Cyclone Yemyin makes landfall in Balochistan province, located along the border with Afghanistan and Iran, unleashing heavy rainfall and flooding across the province. Relief International leads a consortium of seven nonprofit organizations under the banner of Balochistan Relief and Development Network to provide immediate aid to communities located in the cyclone’s path.

As part of Relief International’s Pakistan Libraries Program, our teams provide books to 300 underserved schools and communities. We also provide these resources to girls who may not traditionally have access to these resources, in an effort to bridge gender gaps in literacy and access to education.

In Pakistan’s rural communities, families rely on their herds of sheep and cows to survive. Their close proximity to animals can quickly spark a disease epidemic, resulting in loss of food and income. Relief International leads initiatives to reduce the risks of Zoonotic diseases – passed between animals and people – to reduce the spread of disease among farmers and herders in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Heavy rainfall in late July and August unleash unprecedented flooding in one of the country’s worst natural disasters on record. High floodwaters destroy homes, crop fields, and infrastructure, leaving millions at risk of malnutrition and disease. In Punjab, Relief International works to combat child malnutrition by providing emergency food rations for more than 100,000 people in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh provinces.

Nearly 400,000 people are forced to leave their homes due to an escalation in fighting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Relief International provides support to these displaced families through economic development programs, including backyard poultry programs.

From early August through October, monsoon rains cause widespread loss of life, livelihoods, and infrastructure across the country. Our teams respond swiftly to the unfolding crisis, providing emergency provisions of clean water, food, shelter, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and services for 100,000 families located in Pakistan’s Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab provinces.

As part of a global Livestock for Life program, Relief International trains a wide network of community animal health workers and forms school health clubs to train a new generation in the management of zoonotic diseases. Relief International forges links with ministries across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia to integrate zoonotic disease surveillance into existing government regulations.

Pakistan hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations, sheltering 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees. Relief International works to break down socio-cultural barriers preventing Afghan refugee children, particularly girls, from continuing their studies. Through our PEACE program, our teams of education experts work to increase enrollment and retention among first and second grade Afghan refugee students.